Preliminary Results of 1998 NDHS

1998 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS)

MATERNAL HEALTH

Tetanus Toxoid Coverage

Tetanus toxoid injections are given during pregnancy in order to prevent neonatal tetanus, a frequent cause of infant deaths when sterile procedures are not observed in cutting the umbilical cord following delivery. Table MH1 shows that, for 69 percent of births in the five-year period before the survey, the mother received at least one tetanus toxoid injection during pregnancy. This represents a slight increase from the 64 percent level in 1993 (NSO and MI, 1994:94). Tetanus toxoid coverage is lower for births in ARMM region and those to women with no education.

Table MH1. Reproductive Health Care Indicators

For All Births in the Five Years Preceding the Survey, the Percentage Whose Mothers Had at Least One Tetanus Toxoid Injection, Prenatal Care from a Doctor or Trained Nurse/Midwife, and Assistance at Delivery from a Doctor or Trained Nurse/Midwife, According to Selected Background Characteristics, Philippines, 1998

Background Characteristic	Tetanus Toxoid	Prenatal Care		Assistance at Delivery		Number of Births
		From Doctor	From Nurse-Midwife	From Doctor	From Nurse-Midwife
Age <20 20-34 35-49 Residence Urban Rural Region Ilocos Cagayan Valley Central Luzon Southern Tagalog Bicol Western Visayas Central Visayas Eastern Visayas Western Mindanao Northern Mindanao Southern Mindanao Central Mindanao NCR CAR ARMM CARAGA Education No education Elementary Secondary Post-secondary/college Birth order 1 2-3 4-5 6+ Total	67.9 70.4 62.8 69.2 69.0 68.4 68.2 69.7 67.0 69.2 78.7 77.2 68.8 66.9 71.1 73.3 75.1 64.6 67.1 39.4 73.5 24.8 65.6 76.0 67.0 70.7 72.2 71.0 58.9 69.1	28.9 40.4 35.0 56.7 23.3 43.2 31.2 54.0 43.7 20.0 38.1 24.3 20.0 21.9 21.3 31.7 20.9 75.3 40.4 11.6 26.3 4.5 15.7 37.6 74.1 51.4 43.7 33.7 18.5 38.6	53.5 46.8 46.0 35.9 56.8 42.9 41.6 38.9 42.5 60.8 54.7 69.3 57.6 52.0 61.8 57.6 62.0 19.7 44.4 30.7 63.0 22.7 59.9 53.7 22.2 40.6 45.0 51.5 54.7 47.2	26.1 31.9 28.6 47.7 16.8 25.4 18.6 45.8 33.1 14.3 28.7 23.7 16.1 16.0 20.0 27.6 20.4 64.1 28.6 3.4 21.3 4.5 10.7 29.2 63.5 46.1 32.9 26.6 13.3 30.9	25.1 26.6 19.2 30.8 20.7 41.0 23.6 38.7 26.7 29.6 19.4 31.1 11.6 23.6 14.6 19.0 22.6 27.4 18.2 12.1 17.9 4.9 19.4 34.0 21.9 25.2 28.6 24.7 20.0 25.4	642 5751 1165 3462 4096 344 241 709 1078 530 585 584 446 303 331 489 263 1048 148 263 197 169 2580 2913 1897 1762 2768 1581 1449 7559

Source: NSO and MI, 1998 NDHS

Prenatal Care

Prenatal care from a trained provider is important to monitor the pregnancy and reduce the risks for the mother and child during pregnancy and at delivery. To be most effective, there should be regular prenatal care throughout a pregnancy.
Overall, the 1998 NDHS found that prenatal care was received from a doctor or a nurse or midwife for 86 percent of the births during the five-year period before the survey (Table MH1). Pregnant women are more likely to see a nurse or midwife than a doctor for prenatal care; 47 percent saw a nurse/midwife and 39 percent saw a doctor. Prenatal care coverage has increased only slightly recently; the 1993 NDS indicated that women received prenatal care for 83 percent of births (NSO and MI, 1994: 92).
As expected, urban women are more likely to receive prenatal care--especially from doctors--than are rural women. This urban advantage is evidenced in the high prenatal care coverage in NCR, where 95 percent of births benefit from prenatal care from medically trained staff. The lowest level of coverage occurs in the ARMM region where medical prenatal care is received for only 42 percent of births. Antenatal care from doctors and nurses is received least often for births to mothers who had no education.

Assistance at Delivery

A doctor or trained nurse/midwife assisted at the delivery of 56 percent of births in the five-year period before the NDHS. Medically assisted deliveries are more common for urban births and births to highly educated mothers, as well as births to women in NCR Region. The proportion of births with medical assistance during delivery increased slightly since 1993 (from 53 percent to 56 percent).

Source: 1998 National Demographic and Health Survey
National Statistics Office & Department of Health
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